" . . . painting the looser side of realism . . ."
Writing about my life as an artist, plein air painting, traveling and whatever else might intrigue me.

Friday, May 16, 2014

Bonjour mes amis!

"Notre Dame from Quai des Grands Augustins"
6" x 8" Oil and Graphite on Arches paper for oilsAvailable • Copyright 2013 Debra Joyce Dawson
Last year right now, I was sitting on a plane to Chicago, my connecting flight to Paris, France.

It's hard for me to believe that a year has gone by. I spent 12 wonderful days in Paris, even if it was raining more than I'd have liked.

My fellow Francophile, Janet, and I had just come from Charvin, a gorgeous art supply shop on Quai des Grands Augustins. I saw this view, and I went back with excitement the next day to paint it. Although painting above was started on site, frequent rain showers that morning had me shielding myself and my small magnetic easel under my Camino poncho and a windshield sun protector so often, that it became fruitlest. I threw in the towel and finished at home from memory. I used my trusty palette knife and left some graphite marks on the surface that I applied that day. The blue green bus is a color that Janet picked at Charvin. I promised to use in every painting I did on my trip, from that point on.

I don't use 'colors of convienence' often. I could easily mix that color from the six colors that I use, but it was fun to use, and a great memory of our time together once I'd left Paris.

The painting is still for sale at the gallery and was part of my 7th Solo Exhibition at Sharon Weiss Gallery this past April. The show was a rousing success, and I have so many people to thank.

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About Me

Permanent Collections : Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio Supreme Court, Ohio Historical Society, Central Ohio Diabetes Association, Open Heart Recovery Unit, University Hospital, Baltimore, MD, Richmond Art Museum, IN; Private collections in the US, England, France and New Zealand
"Debra Joyce Dawson paints colorful, evocative outdoor landscapes. She travels extensively, and her paintings can serve as a painterly travelogue to India, Bhutan, England, Ireland, as well as to her more local surroundings. Her medium of choice is oil, with preparatory sketches in graphite, charcoal, pen or watercolor. Some works are small and completed en plein air; other works are larger and more complex renderings done in her studio. Her energy and delight in color, light, and shape are dazzling. But she never surrenders her subject, and each building, boat, hillside, or human figure is carefully pinned to the picture plane in the context of its surroundings. This places her in the best context of American Impressionism, whether one considers John Singer Sargent or Ohio’s own Alice Schille or Edward Henry Potthast." - Susan Talbot-Stanoway, Director Zanesville Museum of Art